Common plastic bag styles used by retailers in fast food chains, supermarkets, and general merchandise, as well as in point-of-purchase applications usually have an open bag mouth at the top and are of the bottom seal variety, which are gusseted along their sides, or of the sideweld variety, which are gusseted along the bottom. Many of these common bags have carrying handles, most of which are of the strap variety or die-cut holes near the bag top. Typical plastic bags used in supermarket applications are about 0.0005 to 0.00065 in gauge; those used in retail merchandise bags are from 0.0005 to 0.0001; fast food bags are usually from 0.0007 to 0.00125, and; those used in point of purchase applications are typically from 0.001 to 0.004 mil thick. Many of these bags are typically stacked up in the manufacturing process and are then bonded into bag packs of 50 to 100 bags which are then packed into shipping cartons. It is desirable to have them in bag packs for handling purposes as is well known in the art. The bundled bags with their detachable tabs or severable apertures are then usually put onto racks and holders for easy dispensing. It is also desirable to have plastic bags self-open as is also well known in the art.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,378 Baxley, et al., adhesives may be used to cause plastic bags to self-open when dispensed from their T-shirt rack holders, such as the rack in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,985. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,158, Boyd and U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,580, Beasley, et al., cold seals may selectively cause the self-opening of the next bag in sequence. The key to using cold seal processes for selectively bonding bags in a bag pack is revealed in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,290, which discusses having an inside bag surface with low coefficient of friction and an outside surface with a high coefficient of friction, thereby selectively bonding the high coefficient surfaces together. As distinguished from the disclosure that follows, this patent relies upon a fused wicket and flaps having the high/friction and low/friction interfaces.
Beasley, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,788 illustrate the use of cold seals when applied to the top regions of plastic bags which cold seals may also be used to bond the plastic grocery sacks together in bag packs.
It is well known that these common plastic grocery sacks when manufactured are stacked up, die cut, and bonded into bag packs of 50 bags or more bags. The bags and their respective die-cut detachable tabs may be heat sealed together forming the bag pack. A form of heat-sealing merchandise bag tabs together is also revealed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,639 commonly known as Dual-Tab.RTM. bags. Furthermore, some bag packs have been formed by using wire twist ties to bundle them together by securing the twist tie through the die cut bag handles that are aligned one atop the other. The bag handles can then be mounted onto a handle holder. U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,561, Suominen, reveals one of these types of handle holders. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,173 Wilfong, et al., reveal a similar compact rack for T-shirt bags.
Having a bag system and a means of bundling, self-opening, and using plastic bags on racks, holders and hooks is desirable--especially if the method of bundling and self-opening enhances the handling of bags and can be made cost-effectively.